In contemporary society it is not uncommon for us to arrive in adulthood
with a pervasive sense of loss of trust accompanied by a long list
of betrayals and disappointments. While there are currently a wide
range of therapies available to assist us in the healing process,
many are turning to the ways of the indigenous peoples in an effort
to find health once again.

Shamans view
most psychological imbalances as an indication that soul loss has
occurred. Traditionally, if a community member experienced
depression, loss of energy, sickness, or malaise, the Shaman would
immediately consult with his Spirit Guides to determine if soul-loss
had indeed occurred. In addition, he might ask very specific details
about the individual's life, including stories from early childhood
through adulthood. The shaman would listen for clues leading to either
an event or a series of events where the loss may have occurred.
Or he may choose to work directly with his spirit allies without
hearing
any of the client's story.

If he
determined that a soul retrieval was in order, the Shaman would prepare
during
the day and typically journey for the lost soul during
the night in total darkness. This was usually done inside the client's
house or dwelling. In North America the Shaman would usually prepare
through prayer, meditation, fasting, and the avoidance of certain
foods and other impurities. One or more assistants were there as
well, to
drum and to watch over the Shaman's physical body while he journeyed
into the Spirit World. After all the preparations had been completed
(which may have included burning sage, gathering witnesses, singing,
and chanting) the Shaman would journey to the Lower, Middle, or Upper
Worlds, being guided and protected by his helping allies. He would
look for the lost piece or pieces of the recipients soul. When he
had fully recovered them, the Shaman would blow the energy back into
his
(client's) body, often into the heart area and the top of the head.
At this point, any necessary instructions would be communicated,
and most likely the client would be given into the care of his family
and
friends, while the shaman retired to a resting place.
Soul-retrieval today is based on the same principles. The primary
difference is the function of the support system after the retrieval
has occurred.
In tribal communities, most families lived together, often in one
dwelling. Sometimes the men and women lived in separate housing,
but there still
existed a strong familial bonding which served to support the member
who was experiencing the loss. This arrangement also provided a safe
environment for physical and emotional recovery and the integration
of the energy which had been retrieved by the Shaman.

In today's
Western Culture, it is often left up to the individual and her small
group of supporters, to weather life transitions. We are
expected to 'maintain appearances' even during times of extreme stress.
Even illness or death of a loved one doesn't excuse one from the
daily responsibilities of being in the world, or if it does, it is
only briefly.
It is in early childhood that we learn society's expectations of
'appropriate behavior' (which varies culturally) and we then internalize
those rules.
The family itself has a great influence on how the child will choose
to incorporate these guidelines, for while one family may adhere
rigidly to the norm, another may reject traditional values and structures
in
favor of a more open and flexible system. It is often at mid-life
when these expectations are seriously evaluated and one decides whether
to keep them or not. This internal struggle between what has been
taught
and what is 'truly one's own' is often what brings on the awareness
that soul-loss has occurred. Many times the child willingly gives
up a 'piece of her soul' in order to be loved and accepted in the
family
of origin. In other circumstances it just leaves; unable to witness
and endure the horrors of abuse and neglect.

One such
client was a woman named Jennifer. Her background was tragic. Jennifer's
father had been extremely abusive and violent to her, dating
back to her infancy. Her mother had all but been absent emotionally,
for she suffered as well under the grip of terror which held her
mercilessly and kept her in passive submission. Daily threats of
violence were
commonplace in this family and, to compound an already horrible scene,
Jennifer's father also subjected her to daily rituals which involved
sexual and emotional abuse. There was no place in the house where
she was safe and by the time she was a teenager, she was already
using
drugs and alcohol to try to numb the pain which became more and more
intolerable by the day. Along with the drugs and drinking, she became
sexually promiscuous and spent as much as several days away from
her home, finding 'peace' at any price. As an adult she went from
relationship
to relationship, unable to maintain intimacy on any level, frequently
changing jobs, homes, and suffering from chronic physical symptoms
including stomach aliments.

When Jennifer
called me and asked me to do a session for her, she said that she
wanted to make a 'leap forward' and there was something holding
her back. She was enthusiastic about the possibility of the healing
that a retrieval potentially held, and asked if we could do it immediately.
I told her I would have to meditate about it and I would get back
to her. I considered it, talked with my allies, and decided to do
it for
her. I also knew that the soul would probably be, not only reticent
to return, but also reluctant to stay. We discussed these possibilities
at length. In fact we spent several sessions preparing for the retrieval,
talking at length, and also doing ceremony to prepare for her soul's
return. We worked with her allies to insure their support and active
participation.

At the session
as I began rattling to call my allies, when I was ready, I lay down
beside Jennifer and began the journey. I walked towards
the World Tree, accompanied by Hawk and Panther. They told me to
pull my cape up around me and walk very quietly. I entered the Tree
in my
usual way by climbing in the hole and down the rungs on the inside
wall. Once inside and standing on solid ground, I looked around for
the entrance that I would use today. Panther motioned to the right.
I didn't remember having been that way before, but I followed, first
sitting down and then sliding down the tunnel into the Lowerworld.

The tunnel
seemed to go on forever, winding its way down through many levels.
It was very dark. When I finally emerged, I was standing
on
the shore of a large lake near a boat sitting by the shore. I pulled
my hood over my head even more, knowing now that my journey was
to the Land of the Dead. Stepping into the boat and sitting down,
I
waited. The boat began to move slowly, and as it did, I noticed
that the boat
was being navigated by a tall 'man' dressed in black. I could feel
the fear inside of me. Of course I couldn’t take my allies
with me on the boat, for it would give me away. I realized that
in order
to cross the great waters, I had to appear dead and could not show
any life.

I concentrated
on my task, knowing that I had to find the lost soul and return it
to Jennifer. I kept that thought in my mind,
repeating
it over and over again as the boat reached shore. What I saw
before me was beyond description. It appeared to be an island, but
this
was no tropical paradise. There were hundreds, perhaps thousands
of 'lost
souls', wandering aimlessly, without purpose or direction. They
were of all ages, but they shared the same lack of life energy.
I thought, " How
will I ever find Jennifer?"

I moved
out of the boat, hoping that I would not be asked for anything. (I
had no money and remembered that in Greek mythology
there is
often a fee for crossing the river.) I slowly stepped forward
and didn't
look back. I began to move toward the people. I heard what
sounded like sobbing and wailing and after some time I saw a young
girl
of about 5. I was beginning to feel very tired, as though the
life was
being drained out of me. I had begun to feel discouraged and
defeated, and upon seeing this child held once again to the
hope that I could
return Jennifer's soul to her. I whispered to her, asking her
if she was the child I was looking for. She barely nodded,
but I knew
that
she was the lost soul. There was almost no energy at all in
her, which seemed different from the others around. I suspected that
this was
true because she was a 'missing piece' of someone who still
lived
in the Middle World. Many of these souls were somehow lost
or stuck during
the death process. Their souls had not been able to move to
the middle astral plane where the reevaluation between lives takes
place. I
felt elated that I was able to find Jennifer but the primary
problem now
was how to leave the Land of the Dead without being detected.

We moved
slowly together toward the boat, but I realized that the boat was
probably not the way we could return. Only my ally the Hawk could
assist me at this point which was unfortunate since I had left her
back on the other side of the river. I concentrated as much as I
could,
visualizing us flying back over the river to safe ground. My allies
were waiting and quite anxious to attend to both of us. I quickly
'shrank' Jennifer and put her energy inside my Retrieving Crystal.
I placed
the Crystal in my Medicine Bag and began my journey back up to the
light of the Middle World through the Great Tree, emerging into the
green meadow that I had left just moments before. I took a deep breath
and pulled down my hood as I let the sun shine on my face once again.
My allies told me that retrieving Jennifer's child self was all the
work I could do today. I agreed, and prepared to blow the lost energy
back into the waiting adult Jennifer who was still lying beside me.

Upon my return
I blew the child self into Jennifer, first through her heart and
then through the top of her head. I rattled around her to
seal the energy and welcomed her back. I shared my journey with her.
She seemed happy and full of energy. We arranged to meet 2 weeks
later for a follow-up session. Several days later I received a call
from
Jennifer. She said she had so much energy that she was literally
bouncing off the walls! She was having a great time with her newly
found inner
child. She had bought crayons, paper, and toys. She was feeling a
tremendous resurgence of vitality and optimism. She said she hadn't
felt this
good in years. During the upcoming weeks she would continue to work
integrating her renewed energy. There was still more work to do,
but this was, as she later told me, the great leap she had been looking
for.